The Spurs striker says Spurs have come on so much in the last two years that they have bigger fish to fry than North London bragging rights.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has told talkSPORT that thew club have improved so much over the last couple of years that finishing above arch-rivals Arsenal is nowhere near as important as it used to be.
Spurs have notoriously failed to finish above the Gunners in the table for the last 22 years, a record which is much to the chagrin of many of the club’s supporters.
Last season was perhaps the occasion that hurt the most, with Mauricio Pochettino’s side’s late-season slide which ended their title hopes ultimately resulting in them falling to third behind Arsene Wenger’s men on the final day of the season.
As it stands this term, with around three months left of the season, Spurs sit three points ahead of their arch-rivals.
They are nine points behind league leaders Chelsea, but Kane insists that the focus at White Hart Lane has shifted from finishing above Arsenal to ensuring that some silverware is brought home.
Kane told talkSPORT: “We don’t focus too much on finishing above Arsenal – we just want to finish as high as possible. If we don’t finish first it’s second and if it’s not second it’s third. We just want to be as high as we possibly can.
“We’re in a good position and we want to fight Chelsea all the way. But if we don’t win the league we want to finish second – that’s what we were disappointed about last year. This year, we want to put that right. We’re doing better than last year. It’s just that Chelsea have got that lead so it probably doesn’t look like that.
“We’re getting more mature and we have to keep getting better. Hopefully we can win a trophy this year, whether it’s Premier League, FA Cup or Europa League, and that can get the ball rolling for years to come.”
Kane is right that Spurs should be focusing on sustaining a title challenge rather than merely finishing above Arsenal, but the fact remains that for many supporters, ending the curse of St. Totteringham’s Day remains a priority, albeit a secondary one.
It looks as though they may have to play second fiddle to Chelsea, with the Blues nine points clear and seemingly imperious, but finishing in second above Arsenal – as well as the likes of Manchester City – would be a feather in the cap for Pochettino and his side, even if it brings no silverware.
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